Code Blue?
by randibaby
Summary: Late season 1, early season 2. Amanda comes to a realization and Lee comes to an appreciation.
1. Blue

Code Blue?  
  
  
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King belong to Shoot the Moon Productions and  
Warner Brothers and I'm making absolutely no money for this writing! Ideas  
were taken from The Mole written by Cliff Gould and Weekend written by Rudolph   
Bochert and Fearless Dotty written by Timothy Burns.  
  
Many thanks to ele for being my awesome 'beta'. All remaining errors are my own.  
  
  
Setting: Late season one, early season two....  
  
Scene 1: Billy's Office  
  
  
"Amanda, I want to thank you for coming in so soon since I called you on  
such short notice." Billy said as he leaned over his desk, hand outstretched  
to make his point. "Blue Leader's nephew Jethro is going on special  
assignment..."  
  
Amanda leaned in over toward Mr. Melrose from her position in the chair   
across from his desk. "Sir, I'm not sure what this has to do with me..."  
  
Billy nodded curtly, "You see Mrs. King, Jethro specifically requested you  
to work with him on this case." Billy hoped that the disapproval he felt  
about this whole business didn't show through his facial expression. He  
continued, "Jethro *is* Blue Leader's nephew so I'm sure you understand how  
much your cooperation is appreciated."  
  
Amanda raised her eyebrows and said, "But sir, I've only worked with Lee.."  
  
"Lee? Lee's off in Venezuela" Francine coyly remarked as she barged in from  
the bullpen and walked past the door and into Billy's office.   
  
"Oh, hi Francine!" Amanda greeted cheerfully but thought, 'Lee's in   
Venezuela?'  
  
"Mrs. King." Francine forced herself to smile. "I hope you are ready to  
work with ol' Jethro. He's quite...something."  
  
"Francine!" Billy warned as he stood up from his desk. He pointed toward  
his door and said, "Take Mrs. King over to meet her new....partner."  
  
Both women took leave of Billy's office. Amanda tried not to worry as she  
hurried to keep step with Francine. Francine spat out instructions the whole  
way, "Amanda, you'll need a bullet proof vest for this one. Jethro has, uh,  
never been a good shot and he refuses to wear glasses. That's vanity for you."   
  
Francine stopped abruptly in front of the training room door and pushed it  
open. Amanda peeked over Francine's shoulder and saw a tall, dark, and  
mysterious man with the most gorgeous head of hair she had ever seen. It  
would put Liberace to shame. She was captivated.  
  
  
It just so happened that this particular man was also captivated by his own  
mane and sat there gazing at his own reflection in the sheen of the table.  
He was admiring himself when Francine interrupted, "Give it up Jethro, you'll  
always have thick eyebrows just like your....um" Francine thought but didn't  
say 'uncle'.  
  
Jethro looked up reluctantly from his own visage and was ready to throw back  
a retort but was caught off guard by a certain beautiful brunette standing   
behind Francine.  
  
Jethro stared at Amanda for a moment then stood up and walked over to grab  
her hand and kissed it. "Ah! The unflappable Mrs. King! We meet at last.  
My uncle has said such great things about you!"  
  
Amanda was shocked, she didn't realize that Blue Leader had noticed all her  
hard work and sacrifice. She replied, "He did? Really? Well, I had no idea  
your uncle noticed how hard I've been working and..."  
  
Jethro continued, "Well he really *didn't* but I'm sure he should." Jethro  
put his arm around Amanda's petite waist and led her over to the conference  
table. "We'll be able to prove to him your skills on this case" Jethro  
said as he guided Amanda over to a chair and bade her sit down.  
  
With sincerity in her voice, Francine leaned over and whispered in Amanda's  
ear as she left, "Don't forget that vest Amanda..."  
  
Amanda gulped as Jethro sat down next to her and kept droning on and on  
about how he (*not they*) would solve this case. All Amanda had to do was  
maintain Jethro's cover. She would pose as his wife this weekend at a  
charity golf tournament in Chevy Chase, Maryland.   
  
Several socialites would be in attendance and word had it that a notorious  
drug king was hoping to lure these ladies into a web of intrigue and addiction.  
It just happened that one of these ladies was the niece of Blue Leader's old  
college chum Redd. Blue had told Billy specifically that his nephew  
Jethro was to head up this investigation.  
  
Amanda sat quietly as Jethro extolled his own skills. When he finally stopped  
talking about himself (due to a temporary deprivation of oxygen), Amanda   
interjected, "Mr., um, Jethro, sir, I'm sure you know that I've only worked  
with Lee before and well, I..."  
  
Jethro tore his eyes off his reflection in the window and turned to look  
at the beauty before him. He thought she was *almost* as beautiful as he was.  
"Oh, Amanda, I know you've only worked with Lee before but, like I said, you  
have a reputation for adding that suburban authenticity to any job you've  
been on. Generosity and stamina and so on. Anyway, I think we'll be quite  
good together, if you know what I mean." Jethro grabbed Amanda's hands once  
more and held them to his lips. "Okay....partner?"  
  
Amanda ripped her hands out of Jethro's embrace and started to say "We're not  
partners" when Fred Fielder walked in.  
  
"Oh, there you are Amanda!"  
  
Amanda looked over her shoulder to stare back at Fred. "Yes?"  
  
Fred leaned into the room, "Just wanna say it was nice knowing you."  
  
"What?" Amanda replied.  
  
Fred looked from Jethro, who was once again enamored by his own reflection,   
then looked back at Amanda. "Oh, it's nothing really," he said. Then in a  
hushed tone to Amanda, "It's just that all of his past partners have either  
gone crazy, got shot, or were...*terminated* while on assignment with him."  
  
  
Amanda's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She wondered, 'What have   
I got myself into?'  
  
Fred ended their little interaction with a "Nice seein' ya!"  
  
  
  
  
  
:)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Scene 2: Somewhere in Central America.....  
  
  
  
'My name is Conzuela Zuela..."  
  
  
Lee had had just about enough. This brash civilian he had been paired up  
with by the head of the Venezuelan office was getting on his very last nerve.  
She had done everything possible to destroy their mission. Lee thought, 'If  
she tells one more person who I really am and blows my cover...'  
  
Conzuela continued speaking loudly to Jose as if he were deaf, which he wasn't.  
Jose was owner of the Last Chance No-tell Motel located on the seedy side of  
town. "And this is my husband Hector."  
  
Jose looked up and nodded toward Lee, "You don't look like a Hector!"   
  
Lee looked at the little man and smiled as he *reluctantly* put his arm around   
Conzuela's shoulder. "My father was an American businessman but my mother...."  
  
"Oh, si." Jose nodded, he *knew* that all too familiar story.   
  
Conzuela continued, "We are looking for a man named Roberto Gonzalez, it's  
very important that we find him."  
  
Lee cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to warn his *wife* not to divulge  
too much information. "Have you seen him?" he asked while showing Jose  
a newspaper clipping with Roberto's picture.  
  
Conzuela added, "It's a matter of national sec..."  
  
Lee cut off Conzuela's loggorhea, "Oh, *honey* let's not blow it out of  
proportion. He's just a long lost relative and since Grampa passed away,  
well, we were hoping we could find him. Unclaimed inheritance and all."  
  
Truth be told, Roberto was known internationally as an effective information  
broker. He did well. Too well. He had recently soiled the reputation of the  
Venezuelan intelligence community by selling classified defense information  
to a ruthless Columbian freedom fighter organization.   
  
Although Venezuela was Roberto's home country, he held loyalties to no one  
except himself. He sold his goods to friend and foe alike. Lee knew that the  
Agency had been brought in on this case to go after Roberto and put a stop   
to any further leaks of vital security information.  
  
"Inheritance?" Jose replied. His ears always perked up when money was mentioned.  
Maybe he could get in on some of the action. "Ok, ok. I think I may know   
where to find him but my memory is so bad."  
  
Lee shrugged and pulled out a roll of bills from his pocket. Jose's jaw   
dropped. Funny how his memory suddenly improved.   
  
"Well, I think I may remember something...." Jose said as he stared at the  
money in Lee's hand. After 50 dollars, Jose told Lee and Conzuela that he  
had seen Roberto a few days ago when he had checked in to the motel...alone.  
That was very unusual at Jose's establishment.  
  
Lee nodded and inquired, "Where is he now?"  
  
Jose replied, "Oh, I don't remember..."  
  
Lee flashed another ten dollar bill.  
  
Jose grabbed it as he said, "Oh yes, I remember now, he's not here. He   
checked out yesterday."  
  
"What?" Lee shouted, he was *not* satisfied.  
  
Jose could see the anger rising in Lee and said, "Well, sir, he took his bags  
and golf clubs and left. I think he was taking a trip..."  
  
Lee struggled to maintain his composure, "Where did he go?"  
  
"I don't know. He just took a plane and left."  
  
Lee stared back at Jose, "What plane?"  
  
Jose gulped. No one snitched on Columbia's biggest drug lord Big Louie.   
Louis Alberto Escobar was the *only* person with a plane in these parts.  
He had a knack for making snitchers disappear, body part by body part. Jose  
happened to like his appendages. "I, I don't know..."  
  
Lee waved a one hundred dollar bill in front of him but still Jose resisted,  
"No, no, I *can't* remember".  
  
Lee shoved Jose against the wall, "C'mon man, this is important!"  
  
Jose looked up at Lee, no one could make him snitch on Big Louie but he did  
want to keep his face nice for the ladies. "Okay, okay. I *can't* tell you  
where Roberto went but....I *can* show you his room.'  
  
Lee loosened his grip on Jose's collar and sighed.  
  
"Gracias senor" Jose nodded as he led Conzuela and Lee to Roberto's room.  
  
There on the bed, Lee noticed a pamphlet touting the excitement and   
location of... the Chevy Chase Country Club in Maryland.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
scene 3  
  
Setting: Inn at the Chevy Chase C.C.  
  
Amanda braced herself as Jethro opened the door to 'their' room. She kept   
mumbling under her breath, "Please let there be two beds, two beds please."  
She broke out into a huge smile as soon as she peered around Jethro's frame  
and into the room. "Oh look!" she exclaimed, "Two beds! Good."  
  
Jethro shrugged his shoulders and moved aside to allow Amanda to enter. She   
began unpacking her bags and settled in as he took off for the bathroom. He   
fussed with his hair for the better part of half an hour before he finally   
emerged. "Hmmmm..." he said as he looked around 'their' room. "I wonder   
where she went?"  
  
***  
  
Lee stumbled toward the door leading to public transportation. It had been a  
bumpy flight to Dulles and his body felt battered and bruised. His pain was  
compounded by the fact that he was carrying *all* of Conzuela's bags.   
  
"How many suitcases can one woman have?" he muttered as she sauntered off   
ahead of him with only her purse in hand. "Uh, Conzuela?" Lee yelled, "Maybe  
you could...unh!" Lee grimaced as the automatic door hit his toe. He shook  
his head and thought, 'She better be out of earshot!' as he watched her walk  
away.  
  
Exasperated, he threw a few of her bags down and stood there. Lee never  
thought this case would lead back to D.C. and he had certainly not expected  
Conzuela to continue her 'cover' as his wife. Although he was against the  
idea, the Venezuelan government had insisted that she remain on the case.   
  
They wanted her to assist in capturing Roberto and soon. Too many cold blooded  
killers had already benefited from the purchase of Roberto's highly classified   
documents. Lee knew that any further leaks would weaken our national security  
as well and compromise the foreign policy with Latin America which the  
President of the United States had worked so hard to develop.   
  
Lee stood there lost in thought, staring at Conzuela's golf bag until another  
traveler bumped into him and said, "Watch it buddy!". Lee excused himself   
and hastily picked up *her* bags once again. He could see Conzuela tapping  
her foot as she waited impatiently for him at the curb. They hailed a cab  
and Lee continued to wonder what could have been so urgent that Roberto would  
risk traveling all the way to DC to play golf.   
  
"My name is Conzuela and I'm from Venezuela...." Lee's 'partner' began as the  
cabbie opened her door.  
  
Lee opened the trunk and threw in the luggage. He could hear Conzuela as she  
continued to speak loudly to the taxi driver. She began telling him a little  
*too* much information about where they were going and what they would be   
doing.   
  
'Where's Amanda when I need her!' Lee fumed but quickly buried that thought.  
He didn't know why he had the greatest urge to tell the taxi driver to take  
them past 4247 Maplewood Drive in Arlington on the way to the Chevy Chase  
Country Club. He knew that request was ridiculous because the two locations  
were on opposite ends of town.   
  
Lee opened the rear passenger door and sat down next to Conzuela as the driver  
took off. She continued to compromise their cover by telling the taxi driver   
too many details about where they had been. Lee glared at her from the corner  
of his eye and murmured, "Now I remember why I work *alone*!"  
  
***  
  
  
The noonday sun beat down on Amanda as she gazed toward the horizon. From  
where she stood on the grand exterior marble staircase of the Inn, she could  
see the first hole of the country club's manicured golf course. A balmy  
breeze tousled her hair and carried the fragrance of freshly cut grass. She   
enjoyed the sweet air and ambled over to lean on the marble rail and watch  
the golfers from afar. She hadn't seen Redd's niece yet.  
  
Her eyes focused on the golfers but her thoughts were elsewhere. Her mind  
was preoccupied with her current predicament. Jethro *was* Blue Leader's  
nephew but the family resemblance ended at his bushy eyebrows. Jethro was  
unorganized, uncouth, and unconcerned for others. He had already made several  
unprofessional comments which made Amanda appreciate even more the fact that  
their room had double beds.  
  
As Amanda looked over the grounds, she pondered her past year at the Agency.  
Whenever Billy or Lee had needed her for an assignment, she had always been  
ready to sacrifice family or personal time in order to help out. She had  
thought that this loyalty to the Agency was due to patriotic fervor and,  
even though Lee teased her, she did find that her job usually provided   
"danger, excitement, and intrigue". Now she only had danger and intrigue.  
  
For the first time, it dawned on Amanda that there was *more* to her job   
satisfaction than patriotic duty. Working with Jethro was nothing like her   
assignments with Lee. Although Lee could be rude and had a temper at times,   
he always looked out for her best interest and put her welfare before his own.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?!"  
  
Amanda spun around. There stood Lee Stetson himself, weighed down with several  
suitcases in one arm and a voluptuous beauty in the other! Amanda stammered,  
"Oh, um, Lee? What am I doing here? What are *you* doing here?" And under her  
breath, "With her!"   
  
  
Lee cleared his throat and looked from Amanda to Conzuela. There was no  
comparison. He wanted 'his' Amanda back. "Amanda", Lee motioned toward  
Conzuela, "We're on a case together...."   
  
Conzuela checked Amanda out from top to bottom. "Civilian?" she inquired.  
  
Amanda stammered, "Uh, yes...I.."  
  
Several golfers descended the stairs and nodded greetings to Lee and Conzuela  
and then to Amanda. Lee couldn't afford to have his cover blown so he put  
his free arm back around Conzuela's waist.  
  
Amanda cringed slightly when she saw Conzuela smile at Lee's touch.  
  
Just then a voice boomed from behind them, "Hon-ey! There you are! Baby,  
sweetheart, pookie! I've been lookin' all over for you!"  
  
Amanda shrugged and smiled weakly at Lee as Jethro came up and gave her a big  
hug before landing a wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek. She shot a sideways glance  
at the 'ol boy as if to tell him 'Don't ever do that again!'  
  
Lee wrinkled his brow as he watched Jethro pull Amanda closer to his side.  
'Something's definitely not right here', Lee surmised. He was beginning to  
recognize the man at Amanda's side.  
  
Jethro held out his arm to shake Lee's hand, "My name is Jethro Jeffries and   
this is my lovely little wife Amanda."  
  
Lee almost choked when he heard those words but nodded, "Oh yeah, Jethro."  
Lee had heard about Blue Leader's nephew through the grapevine. This was the  
first time the two men had ever met. Lee had to believe that Amanda was  
simply on a case with this buffoon. He thought, 'I wasn't gone *that* long!  
Just a few weeks! He's not her type so I know she's not really married. I  
can't believe Billy would pair her up with someone else!'   
  
  
Conzuela looked at Lee and noticed he seemed quite jealous. She didn't like  
that so she blurted out, "Come on Hector! I need some rest. Please, can we  
check in already?"  
  
Lee nodded at Jethro and held eyes with Amanda for a second before leading  
Conzuela toward the Inn. Amanda watched Lee walk away and had the greatest  
urge to yell 'Take me with you...Hector?'  
  
Jethro burst in on her reverie with another unsolicited squeeze around her  
waist. "Come on baby, I've got someone I'd like you to meet. In fact we'll  
be teeing off with them in fifteen minutes."  
  
Amanda slipped out of Jethro's embrace and looked him square in the eye. She  
didn't feel free yet to tell him to keep his hands to himself so she calmly  
asked him, "Who are we meeting?"  
  
Jethro smuggly looked down at Amanda and proudly announced, "Redd's niece...  
Scarlett." 


	2. Green

Scene 4: Tee Time  
  
Setting: 10th Green   
  
Amanda putted in for a birdie and waited at the green for Jethro to arrive.  
'Too bad he doesn't know how to play golf', she sighed. 'Only a couple more   
minutes and he'll be here...'  
  
Scarlett sauntered up to Amanda after putting in and drawled, "Oh, darling, I  
just love your husband! He is gorgeous and so attentive!"  
  
This was the part of Amanda's job that she disliked the most...lying. "Oh?",  
she replied with a forced smile, "Well, he's a charmer!"  
  
Scarlett winked at Amanda, "And sugar, he can't keep his hands off you!"  
  
Amanda thought, 'You mean *won't*!'  
  
"Hon-ey!", Jethro hollered to Amanda from the trees. "I think I'll take   
another Mulligan!"  
  
Barely stifling an annoyed groan, Amanda hollered back, "Okay sweetheart!"  
  
Scarlett smiled at Amanda and said, "Isn't that so nice of your little old  
husband to invite me to play this round of golf with you? My uncle is so  
fond of Blue. What a coincidence for us to meet!"  
  
Amanda smiled back at Scarlett while Jethro finally made his way to the green.  
As she watched him approach, she noticed a funny-looking man staring at them  
from the bushes. He wore a bright red neck scarf and a plaid beret. She  
stared pointedly at Jethro to warn him but he was too busy flirting with  
Scarlett to notice her 'look'.  
  
Excusing herself, Amanda hurried over to the bushes and ducked behind a tree  
in time to watch the funny-looking man run over to a golf cart and quickly  
drive away. 'I wonder if he's that drug lord we've been looking for?' Amanda  
mused. She was sure she'd soon find out.  
  
Scarlett hollered over to her new friend, "Oh Amanda! Did you find one of   
Jethro's wayward Wilson Hyper Titanium Maximum Distance golf balls?"  
  
"Uh, no!" Amanda yelled back as she walked over to meet them at the eleventh  
tee. "Just checking for...aphids..."  
  
***  
  
  
GNGH...Srhnk...HONK...gngh...SCRHNK...ghronk...Zzzz....gnhonk...rngk.....  
  
  
Lee shook his head. "Why is she snoring?", he wondered as he tried to rouse  
his 'partner' from what appeared to be a deep sleep. "Thank God we've got  
double beds!" he practically yelled. Lee rubbed his temples and spat out,  
"Doesn't look I'll be getting much sleep tonight. Here's to another evening  
spent up close and personal with a closet...I hate surveillance!"   
  
Lee tried to waken Conzuela one more time before he took off for the front  
desk. He needed to find out when Roberto had checked in and obtain his room  
number. They hadn't seen their man since they had arrived. Lee wrote  
Conzuela a short note telling her that he'd be right back.   
  
As Lee headed down the hall toward the lobby, he could hear voices. One voice  
in particular was familiar....and welcome. Lee smiled as he rounded the   
corner and saw Amanda standing there with Jethro and an attractive red head.  
His smile soon faded though, when he noticed Jethro's arms around Amanda.  
Lee wasn't sure why, but, something about Blue's nephew rubbed him the wrong  
way.  
  
Amanda's beautiful eyes sparkled when she saw Lee. He returned her gaze and  
offered a sympathetic smile. He thought she looked quite uncomfortable and  
wanted so badly to rescue her but he knew that would blow her cover.   
  
"Hey there good buddy!", Jethro shouted. "How ya doin'? And Hector, where's  
that pretty wife of yours?"   
  
Amanda cringed when she heard Jethro say 'your wife' to Lee. 'Pretty?', she  
thought, 'She's unique looking but I wouldn't go as far to say pretty!'  
  
Lee was dying to tell Jethro that his 'wife' was snoring but opted to say,  
"Well, she's uh, taking a nap."  
  
Blushing, Amanda fought hard to *not* imagine Lee's room, 'Probably just one  
bed!', she fumed as she turned away so no one could see her red face.  
  
"Oh!" Scarlett interjected as she sauntered up to Lee and undressed him with  
her eyes. "Married? That's too bad. You are a tall drink of water, uh,  
Hector." She slipped her hand in the crook of Lee's arm and cooed, "And so  
strong!" It didn't go beyond Amanda's notice that Scarlett was squeezing   
Lee's biceps like Charmin.  
  
Lee smiled approvingly at this attractive red head but happened to notice a  
strange look on Amanda's face from the corner of his eye. He cleared his  
throat and glanced at Amanda before saying, "Oh, yes ma'am, I'm definitely  
...married."   
  
Scarlett breathlessly suggested, "Well, I sure hope I get to see you tonight  
at the ball! I'll bet your missus won't mind if I steal just one itty-bitty  
dance."  
  
Amanda rolled her eyes and glared at Lee before turning to Jethro and saying,   
"Are we finished?" She could feel Lee staring at her so she decided to say  
in her sweetest voice possible, "Jethro, honey, we really should get back to  
our room. You know we've only got so much time to get ready for that ball."  
  
Jethro raised his eyebrows apporvingly as Amanda put her arm around his waist  
and thought, 'This King woman is finally catching on to my beauty and charm!  
Eureka!' Lee cringed as he watched Jethro kiss Amanda lightly on the nose and  
growl, "If we don't get distracted by, er, something else first pookie!"  
  
'Something else nothin' pal!' Lee thought. He couldn't believe that Amanda  
would put up with this lothario's shenanigans! 'Why, I oughta...'  
  
Scarlett felt the tension in Lee's arm and wondered what could have made him   
so upset. She looked over at Lee, who was watching Amanda, and marveled.  
'She's so ordinary. What in the world has she got that I don't have?' Scarlett  
wondered as she watched Amanda walk down the hall, arm in arm with Jethro.  
She glanced at Lee from the corner of her eye and noticed that he didn't take  
his eyes off that perky brunette even once until she stepped out of sight.  
Satisfied that Amanda was gone, Scarlett turned her impudent face toward Lee  
and coyly whispered, "I look foward to seeing you later...."  
  
Lee smiled as he looked down at this pretty red head on his arm. He brought  
Scarlett's delicate fingers to his lips and gallantly excused himself before  
walking away. As he made his way toward the front desk to speak with the  
concierge, Lee decided that he would *definitely* get Scarlett's phone  
number before this case was over.  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene 5  
  
Setting: Grande Ballroom at the C.C. Inn  
  
Amanda sat alone at the dining table, nursing a watered down drink and waiting  
for her hapless partner Jethro to arrive. 'He's gotta be in the bathroom', she  
figured as she looked at her watch. 'Should only take about another half an  
hour...' Amanda put down her drink and looked around the room. She hadn't  
seen the man with the red scarf and plaid beret yet. She hadn't even seen Lee  
or Conzuela for that matter. 'I hope their case is going better than ours...'  
she mused before being interrupted by a stately waiter.  
  
"Hors d'oeuvre madam?"   
  
Amanda looked up hoping to see Lee but an elderly gentleman stared back at her  
instead. "Oh, no thank you", she replied with a bittersweet smile. Sensing  
the waiter's disappointment, Amanda reached out and took a stuffed mushroom  
from his tray. "Well, maybe I'll take just one."  
  
The waiter smiled. 'Pity her date has left her,' he thought as he walked away.  
'She looks absolutely stunning in that black sequinced gown. That man of hers  
must be a fool!'   
  
  
Amanda savored the delicious morsel before standing up and casing the room   
one more time. No Jethro, no Lee, no......Amanda's jaw dropped. There was  
Conzuela at the main entrance of the ballroom wearing a, wearing a....bright  
yellow, orange, and red feathery confection. Amanda had never seen anything  
like it. She wondered, 'How's she gonna stay undercover in that?' Amanda  
shook her head in utter amazement and began walking toward Conzuela.  
  
She passed several tables on her way over toward Lee's partner and nodded  
politely to each couple. At least until she saw a familiar red head decked  
out in gold lame and sitting with the funny-looking man! Amanda started to   
rush over to where Conzuela had been standing to tell her to find Jethro but,  
before Amanda could reach her, Conzuela was gone.  
  
Unsure what to do, Amanda decided to sit at the table adjacent to Scarlett and  
the man. She kept her back toward them the entire time but was able to follow  
their conversation.  
  
'Party?" Scarlett gushed, "Well, of course I like to party!"  
  
The funny man reached out and grabbed Scarlett's hand, "Well then baby, you're  
gonna love my stuff."  
  
Scarlett stared at the man and looked him straight in the eye, "Stuff?"  
  
Amanda could her the man say, "Yeah. Follow me to my room and I'll show you."  
  
Being an adventurous woman, Scarlett allowed the man to guide her toward his  
room. Amanda followed them from a distance. She was nervous but determined  
as she followed them down the hall. 'Where's Jethro?', she wondered. She   
knew Lee would never have left her in a bind like this. She wondered if it  
would be worth it to stay at the Agency if she no longer would be paired up  
with Lee. She was beginning to realize, the answer was no.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene 6  
Setting: Room 13  
  
Room 13. That's where the man stopped. He turned the knob and escorted the  
lovely Scarlett into his room. Before it could latch, Amanda quickly and  
quietly stuck the toe of her shoe in the door. She held her breath as she  
slipped her tiny frame through the door and shut it.   
  
She saw Scarlett and the man standing in his sitting room and talking. They  
didn't notice their *guest*. Amanda watched the man as he showed Scarlett  
baggies of some blue powdery substance and wondered, "What is that?".   
  
She needed to find a safe place to 'spy' on her man and saw a large armoire   
in the bedroom facing the sitting room. She decided that the armoire would be  
the best spot to survey her subjects so she gingerly crept over to it and  
backed up. She quickly slipped inside the closet door and almost screamed.  
Another body that was already in there. Thankfully, it was a warm body that  
happened to be wearing Lee's cologne.   
  
A firm but gentle hand clamped on her mouth. Amanda could feel the heat of  
Lee's breath in her ear as he whispered, "It's me Amanda, what are you doing  
here?' Amanda nodded her head in a gesture to inform Lee that she was okay  
and wouldn't scream. Lee tenderly took his hand away.   
  
Amanda replied in a hush, "I'm going after that drug dealer." It was dark in  
the armoire and Amanda couldn't see a thing. The closet was so narrow that  
her body was shoulder to shoulder with Lee. She was beginning to feel dizzy  
but continued, "Scarlett is the niece of Blue Leader's friend and Jethro was  
assigned to guard her. You know, make sure she doesn't get hooked on drugs."  
  
"Drugs!" Lee whispered loudly, "A-man-da, that man isn't a drug dealer! He's  
an information broker named Roberto."  
  
"Lee, I'm telling you, he's a drug dealer.."  
  
"Amanda, there is no way he sells...."  
  
"Drugs?" Lee heard Scarlett say. "These are drugs? Look, why are you inviting  
me to your, uh, party Roberto?"  
  
"C'mon baby, just try some."  
  
Scarlett shook her head and resisted, "No, I want to eat first."   
  
Amanda and Lee could hear Roberto grumble, "Okay baby, but we're coming back  
here for dessert."   
  
  
Lee couldn't see Amanda but he could feel her frame next to him. He gently  
grabbed her waist and whispered in her ear, "Wait till they leave. We've  
gotta get out of here and call Billy. Well, I need to find Conzuela and you  
need to find Goober..."  
  
Amanda whispered back, "You mean Jethro."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Once they heard Roberto click the door shut, Lee commanded "Let's get out of  
here." He placed his hand firmly on the small of Amanda's back as they  
exited the armoire and filed out into Roberto's room. Lee stopped to pick up  
the bag of blue powder from the table. Amanda thought Lee looked stunning in   
his white tux.  
  
"Hmm..." Amanda said as Lee threw the bag back down and walked over to open  
the door to the hall. "Lee, it looks like we're both after the same guy."  
  
"Maybe" Lee sighed warily, "Look Amanda, I want you to be careful out here.  
Things could get hairy and I don't want to see you get hurt. We better find  
your, uh, partner Bluto before we call Billy."  
  
Amanda rolled her eyes, "His name is Jethro, Lee."  
  
Lee smirked as he escorted Amanda up to her door. She turned to thank him  
for his help and opened the door to step in. She blurted out "Oh my gosh!"  
when she saw what was going on inside.   
  
"What is it Amanda?" Lee yelled as he looked over her shoulder. Apparently,  
Jethro and Conzuela found each other more intriguing than the cases they  
were currently on. The two were, uh, locked in a compromising...position.  
  
Lee grabbed Amanda to his side and slammed the door. "Look Amanda," he said  
cautiously, "We may have to solve this case together." He was actually glad  
that Amanda might be by his side for the rest of this case. He wouldn't  
admit it but he had really missed her from the second he landed in Venezuela.  
Lee looked admiringly into Amanda's eyes. He knew she had a good head on her  
shoulders and he was beginning to appreciate the fact that this suburban  
housewife was loyal and did think quickly on her feet. Compared to Conzuela,  
she even listened. Yes, listened. He laughed to himself, 'I think I'd even  
follow her blind through a....'  
  
"Lee? Lee, are you okay?"  
  
Lee sheepishly looked over toward Amanda. She was staring at him with a  
concerned look on her beautiful face. With a grin, Lee grabbed her arm and  
said, "C'mon partner, let's go!"  
  
Amanda linked arms with Lee, the biggest grin on her face, as he led her   
back to the dining area. They arrived just in time to see Roberto   
manhandle Scarlett and drag her back toward his room.  
  
"Amanda!" Lee shouted, "Go call Billy for back up. We'll have to explain  
everything later."  
  
"Lee", Amanda hollered, "If you're not back here in fifteen minutes, I'm  
coming after you!"  
  
Lee turned to look back at his partner, his hazel eyes flashing. He knew she  
would never use a gun so he teased, "With what Amanda? Your purse?"  
  
Amanda tilted her head in an exasperated fashion and grinned as she watched  
Lee run away. She stood there for a while, lost in thought. She thought   
about those hazel eyes....'Ah, he called me partner' she mused. After  
several seconds, she finally came to herself and blurted, "I better go make  
that call!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scene 7  
Almost done!  
  
  
  
Lee crept down the hall toward Roberto's room. He could hear Scarlett's  
voice through the door.  
  
"No! You'll never get me to...ugh! No!"  
  
Roberto smacked Scarlett, "What's wrong woman? Don't want to play? Take  
these drugs or else...things will only get worse!"  
  
Lee burst into the room just as Roberto tried to shove Scarlett's face  
into a pile of the fine blue powder. "Hold it right there Roberto!" Lee   
yelled.  
  
  
***  
  
Amanda leaned against the wall and relaxed after she hung up the phone. Mr.  
Melrose had just thanked her for making the call and had told her that a   
backup crew was on their way. Feeling proud of herself, Amanda smiled as she   
pushed herself away from the wall. She glanced at her watch and started to  
head back toward Roberto's room. Lee had been gone over 5 minutes.  
  
She was glad that she had been able to help Lee in some small way with this  
case and she looked forward to 'watching his back'. As she ambled down the  
hall, she heard a familiar voice over the intercom.  
  
"This is Conzuela. I am looking for my partner Lee Stetson. He is a Federal  
Agent and I am waiting for him in the lobby. Paging Lee Stetson..."  
  
Amanda's jaw dropped. She hoped she'd have enough time to hurry to the  
lobby and stop Conzuela from making any further blunders. She began to run  
down the hall when, out of no where, Roberto came crashing into her and  
hurled her to the ground. Stunned, Amanda sat there and watched as Roberto  
leaped up to his feet and quickly ran away. He was heading for the main  
entrance to the Inn.   
  
Lee came flying down the hall soon after but paused when he saw Amanda   
sprawled out on the floor. He yelled, "Amanda, are you alright?"  
  
Amanda nodded affirmatively and smiled at Lee as she pointed down the   
hallway and shouted, "He went that way!"  
  
Lee smiled and nodded his head in thanks as he took off to pursue Roberto.  
  
Scarlett trailed close behind and arrived just in time to watch Lee head out  
toward the lobby. She saw Amanda on the ground and leaned over to help her   
to her feet. She demanded to know, "What is going on here?"  
  
Amanda raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Uhm....".  
  
Scarlett shook her head in dismay and sarcasticaly replied, "You and Hector  
are quite the pair! He told me the same thing when I asked him about it in  
Roberto's room! I can see that drugs are obviously involved and I think I  
have a right to know what's going on here! My father *is* Senator Cherry  
Redd and he does have connections. He is on the committee for National  
Defense and he won't take this sitting down!"   
  
Amanda nodded her head sympatheticaly and was about to explain what she   
could to Scarlett. That was, until she heard more unwelcome sounds from the  
speaker above.   
  
"Paging Lee Stetson, Federal Agent, please come to the front desk. This is  
your partner Conzuela, I'm waiting for you in the lobby....."  
  
Scarlett's jaw dropped as she watched Amanda take off like a rocket toward  
the lobby. She hollered as she raced after her, "Was it something I said?"   
  
****  
  
Amanda rushed over and grabbed the microphone out of Conzuela's hands. The  
Venezuelan beauty yelled at Amanda, "What do you think you are doing? I need  
to find my partner Lee..."  
  
Amanda winced when Conzuela said 'my partner' and decided it was time to set  
the record straight. "Look Conzuela, I realize that your government has put  
you on this assignment but Lee is *not* your partner! Anyway, didn't you see  
him? He just ran through here! He was chasing Roberto and I'm sure they   
came this way...."  
  
Conzuela shrugged, indifferent to the entire situation. She glanced at the  
mirrored walls of the lobby and started to fix her hair. She then yawned  
before straightening her skirt and fixing her lipstick. Amanda stared at her  
in disbelief.  
  
"Conzuela?" she asked. "I thought you were looking for Lee. Don't you want  
to find him and help him apprehend Roberto?"  
  
"Hmm? If I'm not Lee's partner, why should I care?" Conzuela absentmindedly  
responded. She then became busy, filing her nails...  
  
Exasperated, Amanda asked Scarlett to keep an eye on Conzuela and turned to  
run out the front door. She was hoping to find Lee and Roberto...alive. She  
knew Lee could blow up at times and might get carried away. She had just ran  
past the threshold of the front door when gunshots rang out behind her. She  
dove for cover then glanced over her shoulder.   
  
There stood Jethro with gun drawn and still smoking in his hand. He cocked   
the hammer of his pistol and was ready to shoot again when Amanda cried out,  
"Jethro! Don't shoot! It's me! Amanda! Your, uh, your partner!"  
  
Jethro squinted as he ran toward where Amanda was hidden, behind a bush. 'Oh!  
Pookie! I didn't know that was you! What are you doing here? I heard Conzuela's  
page and figured Lee might be in trouble but I haven't seen him. Do you know  
where he is?"  
  
Amanda allowed Jethro to help her stand up and replied, "I don't know Blut...,  
I mean Jethro. Last I saw him, he was headed out this way..."  
  
***  
  
Lee fought for his life. He was in hand-to-hand combat with Roberto, who  
happened to be a master black belt in tai qwan do. The two men struggled for  
the upper hand as they rolled down to the ground.  
  
Roberto shouted, "You'll lose, ugh, Scarecrow! Just, ack! Give it up! You'll,  
unh! Never, huh, win!"  
  
Lee strained to prevent Roberto from crushing his chest. With every fiber  
of his being, Lee pushed against Roberto and hurled him off his torso. "What  
were you doing Roberto?" Lee yelled, "Information brokering get boring?   
What's the deal with the drugs? Huh? Unh!"   
  
Roberto smiled when he saw that his right hook had cut Lee's lip and knocked  
him back to the ground. Lee didn't take kindly to that and showed Roberto  
his displeasure by leaping up and landing a sound roundhouse kick to Roberto's  
side. Roberto fell to the ground with a thud. Lee quickly grabbed Roberto's  
collar with his right hand while punching him in the nose with a left jab.   
  
Unfortunately for Lee, Roberto just laughed and kicked him in the groin.  
Lee doubled over in pain. Roberto was about to stomp down on Lee's head   
when Amanda yelled out "Lee! Watch out!"  
  
Roberto became distracted by Amanda's yell and looked up long enough for Lee  
to kick Roberto's feet out from under him. The sudden fall caused Roberto  
to 'thunk' his head on the pavement and knocked him out. He lay there  
unconscious as Amanda came running up to Lee's side.   
  
"Lee? Lee, are you alright?"  
  
Lee shook his head and looked up at Amanda with a smile. She helped him gain  
his footing as he leaned on her arm and stood up. She tingled at his touch  
and was shocked when he suddenly grabbed her into his arms for a genuine,  
heartwarming hug. Lee grinned, Amanda's arms felt like home.  
  
***  
  
(tag next) 


	3. Red (tag)

Tag!  
  
Lee sauntered into the bull pen and grabbed a cup of coffee before walking  
over to Francine. She looked up from the report in her hands and smiled.  
"Great job Scarecrow! Looks like you've done it again! Not only did you  
catch Roberto but you also discovered his connection to that drug king Big  
Louie. Looks like both men will be locked away for a long time and I hear  
that the President is very pleased. No more leaks to those Columbian freedom  
fighters!"  
  
Lee shook his head and tried to clarify what happened, "Really Francine, it  
was Amanda who..."  
  
"Oh, c'mon Lee!, Francine continued, "You figured out that Scarlett's father  
was Senator Cherry Redd who happens to be the head of the National Defense  
committee. You prevented Roberto from snagging Scarlett into Big Louie's  
web of drug addiction and blackmail. Gonzalez was crushed when he found  
out that Scarlett would not become one of his informants!"  
  
Lee was about to reply to Francine's comment when he saw Amanda walk over to  
Billy's office. Duffy followed her close behind. "Oh, not again!" he moaned  
under his breath as he raced over to join them.  
  
Francine looked up at her old backgammon partner and wondered why Amanda  
affected him that way. She hoped that if Amanda ever did get involved with  
Lee, she wouldn't get hurt. 'He's got a way of getting under your skin'she  
sighed before getting back to her work.  
  
Lee rushed over to Billy's office and shoved open the door. "What's going on  
here Billy? I thought we just learned that Amanda shouldn't..'  
  
Billy looked over at Scarecrow and nodded, 'Work with anyone else. I know  
that Lee. I was just asking Mrs. King to help Duffy type up some overdue  
reports."  
  
"Oh" Lee said as Amanda turned to look at him. He didn't want to reveal that  
he was embarrassed so he excused himself from Billy's office and said, "Well  
then, carry on."  
  
Billy chuckled as he watched Lee walk away and thought, 'This plan of mine is   
beginning to work! Looks like Amanda is realizing how different it is to  
work without Lee and Lee's beginning to appreciate Amanda.' Billy turned to  
attend to the task at hand and even though he was explaining to Amanda how  
she could help Duffy with his reports, his mind was elsewhere. He was still  
musing, 'I'm so glad I thought of putting those two together!' 


End file.
